Groundhog Grudge Champions: EAVC 17 Kekoa

Elevate 17 Nike Kekoa took first place on Saturday in a three-set match against Mountain Peak 17 National Green. Both teams displayed impressive power, skill, and relentlessness in their pursuit of gold, but EAVC separated themselves by making smart adjustments and consistently capitalizing on opportunities in crucial moments. Below are the standout performers from both teams in the match.   Elevate 17 Nike Kekoa    [player_tooltip player_id='724783' first='Marley' last='McCandless'] did a great job staying in tempo and maintaining location during chaotic rallies. She consistently ran a balanced offense while recognizing and capitalizing on opportunities to insert herself as an attacker. Using her height to her advantage, she scored multiple points by going up strong and dumping with her right hand to the donut or into zone 2 with force.     [player_tooltip player_id='836555' first='Nicalee' last='Nordahl'] is always an athlete I enjoy watching. What she did exceptionally well in this match was simply being an athlete, getting her feet to the ball, and taking solid swings. She found a lot of success scoring around blocks, down the line, and hard into the seams. Nicalee hustled on defense and executed in serve receive when she was pulled back to pass.     [player_tooltip player_id='892965' first='Macy' last='Melville'] continues to impress each time I see her play. Her competitive style of play, paired with her abilities as a hitter, elevates her team's performance and allows them to capitalize on good passes and solid digs.   She found a lot of success scoring hard down the line, mixing in different off-speed shots, and turning hard off the block. After going down one set, her coaches moved her to the right to slow down MPV's outsides, and she did exactly that. Not only did she prove to be a strong blocker, but she was just as effective offensively on the right.     What I really enjoyed seeing today from [player_tooltip player_id='897144' first='Lexi' last='Brown']'s game was her ability to correct her errors quickly. She got aced once down the line in rotation 2, and it never happened again. Servers continued to target her and she passed well under pressure and continued delivering good passes.   The same resilience showed when she was in the front row. If she did not score off a swing or made an error, she responded almost immediately by putting the next ball away or making a smarter play to make it harder for MPV to stay in system. Lexi scored by swiping, jamming, or taking a hard swing based on where the set was and where she could capitalize most effectively.     Not only did [player_tooltip player_id='918683' first='Anna' last='Marshall'] capitalize on her primary responsibilities -- serve receive and defense -- but she also took care of the little things that made a big difference. Anna showed focused awareness by intentionally covering her hitters and delivering quality sets to the pins. If she had the opportunity to take a hitters seam in serve receive, she did so confidently and executed.    Mountain Peak 17 National Green    [player_tooltip player_id='532737' first='Eliza' last='Force'] continued to push the tempo with pins and keep herself involved in the offense. Being a left-handed setter comes with clear advantages, and Eliza made sure to utilize them in the right moments. She recognized where her blockers and defenders were and was able to score with a fast one-handed dump to the donut or be a little more creative and send it behind to 4. Eliza has a consistent take and release on the ball, which keeps her location consistent with her pins and middles.     [player_tooltip player_id='808484' first='Brynn' last='Spackman'] came up with big plays throughout the match. Her range as a libero continues to expand with her ability to read her hitters and make composed moves to keep the ball alive. Brynn's positive attitude and energy are infectious, and her teammates cling to that in tough moments. Her coach compliments her work ethic and willingness to continue learning and growing not only as a libero, but as a player overall.   A skill that Brynn says she is working on getting more comfortable with is using her hands to take out of system balls.     [player_tooltip player_id='532736' first='Audrey' last='White'] packed a punch behind every swing she took. She consistently moved the ball around and utilized a lot of different tools to score. Audrey hustled down balls to corners and was a reliable passer throughout the match.     You are always in for a treat when you watch [player_tooltip player_id='896261' first='Avery' last='Fauth']. She created a lot of positive block touches that slowed down MPV's big outsides and gave their defense an opportunity to put them back in system. She continued to mix up her swings, either hard down the line or deep into seams which pushed her team to continue battling.    Just a reminder to all volleyball athletes in Utah — with club season now in full swing, I'd love to feature more of you! If you'd like to be included, please send me your club schedule along with some basic information about yourself: your club team, position, and coach. Feel free to also share a little bit about your story and who you are!    With how much volleyball has grown in Utah, it's getting tougher to keep track of all the talented athletes out there, so don't hesitate to reach out! I'll do my best to come watch you in action and you can find my email in the Utah scouts section. I'm looking forward to connecting with you all and seeing you on the court!

Elevate 17 Nike Kekoa took first place on Saturday in a three-set match against Mountain Peak 17 National Green. Both teams displayed impressive power, skill, and relentlessness in their pursuit of gold, but EAVC separated themselves by making smart adjustments and consistently capitalizing on opportunities in crucial moments. Below are the standout performers from both teams in the match.